Staple forming and driving machine.



R.,G. INWOOD & G. N. SIGBRFOOSE.

STAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

9&0774 oma R. G. INWOOD & G. N. SIGERFOOSE.

STAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

949,373. Patented Feb. 15, .1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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STAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3. 1907.

949,373. Patented Feb.15, 1910.

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1 ill 0 r V IHIHIHM- 74/w1rv-0 gar-don I W R. G. INWOOD & G. N. SIGERPOOSE.

STAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 3, 1901.

949,373. Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

6 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

1. I 011204 w Z RHG. INWOOD 8: G; NLSIGERFOOSE.

STAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

APPIJiOATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

Patentd Feb. 15, 1910.

6 BHBETSB HEBT 6.

ms m 2240461404 ek dw c/M k 9117 40161204 7% R. G. INWOOD & G. N. SIGERFOOSE. .ISTAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3, 1907.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

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78404641 g. a/mmaz. gfl'rvlon c511.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD G. INWOOD AND GORDON N. SIGERFOOSE, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, AS- SIGNOLRS T0 NATIONAL WIRE BOUND BOX COMPANY, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, A

CORPORATION OF INDIANA.

STAPLE FORMING AND DRIVING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 15, 1910.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Riemann G. INwooo and GORDON N. SIGERFOOSE, citizens of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Staple Forming and Driving Machines, of which the following is a specification. I

Our invention relates to improvements in staple-forming and driving machines in gen era], but more particularly to machines for stapling in place the ends of boxes, or the like articles; and our primary object is to provide a construction of machine of the character above referred to, which shall be compact and easily and accurately operated; andanotlier object is to provide a construction of machine whereby staples may be formed and driven from the inside of the boxes or articles worked upon.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which show our invention embodied in a machine of a form for making and driving staples through the ends of a wire-bound box from the inside thereof-Fignre l is a vie v of the machine in side elevation. Fig. 2 i a top plan view of the machine showing a portion only of the work-suppin-ting table. Fig. 3 1s a view in end elevation of the machine. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view in side elevation of the head carried by the rod for actuating the cutter and stapleformer, showing the cams for actuating it, the actuating shaft being shown in section. Fig. 5

'is a similar view of the head carried by the rocking lever for actuating the stapledriver. Fig. (3 is an enlarged view in side elevation of one end of the machine, showing the staple-forming and driving mechamsm. taken at the line A-A on Fig. 6, and viewed in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 8 is a view in side elevation of the parts shown in the lower half of Fig. 6, the view showing the positions the parts assume after the tornnng of a staple. Fig. 5) is a broken sectional view taken at the line B-B on Fig. 8, indicating by full .lines the positions the cutter and its actuating finger assume when the cntteris at rest, and b dotted lines the positions the cutter-actuating finger and its operative member assume when the stapleformer reaches the limit of its outward Fig. 7 is a broken sectional view.

movement to form the staple. Fig. 10 is a view similar to that of Fig. 6, but with the block, through which the wire forming the staples is fed, shown in section, the parts being shown in the relative positions they assume at the conclusion of the staple-forming and driving operation. Fig. 11 is a broken view of the end of the machine illustrated in Fig. 8, with a wire-bound box in position on the machine for stapling an end. to the. cleats thereof, the view showing the box in the raised position .it occupies when the anvil-plunger as the staple is driven, rises to the position shown in dotted lines; and Fig. 12, a top plan view of the end of the machine illustrated in Fig. 11, showing by dotted representation the various positions a box assumes during the end-stapling operation.

The frame of the machine comprises a bed 13 supported on standards 14-, a worksnpportin r table 15 and a supplemental arm-like trame 16 secured at one end to the bed 13, as by bolts 17, to extend at its opposite end above and part-way across the table 15. A plate 18 mounted in guides 19 and 20, to be reciprocated up and down, carries a staple-driver 21 and a wire-feed device 22 for feeding the wire 23 downward during the downward movement of the plate 18, the wire being supplied from a reel (not shown), passing over a pulley 24 on the frame and through an opening 25 in the top side of the frame 16 to the feed-device '32. The feed-device may be of.an v suitable form, but that preferred is the one illustrated comprising a set. of jaws 2o, 26, each tapered at its outer side, as shown at. 27, and fitting the correspondingly upwardly converging surfaces 28 of a recess 29 in the plate 18, under the tension of a spring 30 confined between the lower ends of the jaws and the lower wall of the recess. The inner opposed faces of the jaws are serrated as indicated at 31, 31, and thus serve to grip the wire 23, located between them, during the downward movement of the plate 18, and to slide past the wire on the upward stroke of the plate, as hereinafter described.

The plate 18 is reciprocated through the medium ofa rocking lever 32 fulcrumcd between its ends to the arm 16, as indicated at 33. This lever is pivotally connected at one end with the plate 18 by a pin 3 1 which of the stroke to be fed downward through the moves in a slot in the frame 16, and the lever is slidably connected at its opposite end with a head 36. The head 36 has journaled in its outer end an eccentric 37 con fined on the main drive-shaft 38 of the machine, whereby when this shaft is rotated, as hereinafter described, the lever is rocked on its fulcrum, thereby reciprocating the plate 18, and with it the staple-driver and feeddevice.

Secured to the frame 16, as by screws 39, is a stationary plate 40 provided in its upper end with a transverse irregularly shaped recess 41, and in its rear face with a substantially rectangular recess 42 with which horizontal openings 43, 44, 45 and 46 communicate, the openings 43 and 45 being in alinement with the openings 44 and 46, respectively, for a purpose hereinafter disclosed. In the plate 40 and communicating with the opening 43, is a vertical opening 47 having a portion of its wall cut away, as shown at 48, the walls of the opening 47 being in alinement with the serrated edges of the jaws. Fixed in the opening 47 is a pin 49 having its lower end forwardly and downwardly tapered as indicated at 50,- at which end it projects in the opening 43. This pin contains a central longitudinal opening 51 forming a passage through it for the wire 23, a portion of the pin being cut away, as indicated at 52, to mutilate the wall and expose the wire fed therethrough,

as shown in Fig. 10. The wire is thus exposed to permit it to be clamped, when the plate 18 is moving upward, against the wall of the opening 51 through which it passes. This clamping action is effected by means of an upwardly spring-pressed finger 53 located in -the recess 41 and pivoted'to the frame 16 in position to bind the wire 23 in the opening 51 against upward movement, and to release the wire and permit it to be freely passed downward through the pin 49 under the action'of'the feed-device when the latter moves downward. Thus each downward stroke of the late 18 causes a length of wire corresponding to the length .pin to the wire-cutting and staple-forming devices hereinafter described.

A reciprocating horizontal cutter-member 54 slides in the opening'44 and through the recess 42 to cotiperate wit-h the pin 49 in cutting the wire into suitable len ths, as hereinafter described. The outer en of the member 54 is headed, as indicated'at 55, and

confined between this head and the plate tapered surface 50 of the pin 49 and thus sever the wire 23 at the point where it leaves the opening 47. A horizontally reciprocating head 60 slides in guides 61, 61, secured to the frame-arm 16, as indicated at 62, and carries means for actuating the cutter-member 54 and a staple-forming plunger 63 arranged to reciprocate in the openings 45 and 46 in the plate 40. The means for operatin the cutter-member comprises a finger 64 pivoted in a recess 65 in the head 60, as indicated at 66, and normally rearwardly pressed by a spring 67 secured to the head 60. The free end of the finger contains a shoulder 68 which engages with the headed end of the cutter-member 54 when the head is in normal withdrawn position, and projecting laterally from the finger in the rear of its shoulder is a pin 69 which, when the head is moved forward to a certain position, as hereinafter described, rides upon a camblock 70 secured to the frame-arm 16 and raises the finger 64, thereby disengaging it a from the member 54 and causing the latter to return to normal position under the action of the spring 56, a stop 71 on the frame-arm 16 serving to limit the return movement of the member 54. The opening 45 in the plate 40 contains an upper, groove 72 and a lower groove '7 3, which communicate with a vertical roove 74 in the wall of the recess 42 in a inement with the opening 51 in the pin 49, whereby the lengths of wire when successively fed into the plate are caused to span the inner end of the opening 45. The

plunger 63, which is rigid with the head 60, and is caused to engage successively each length of wire immediately after the wirecutting operation, engages the length of wire between its ends, forcing the latter into the grooves 72, 73, in the opening 45, which is in effect a die, and thereby bending the wire into the desired U-shape, from which open-' ing the staple so formed is forced into a staple-receiver hereinafter described. The cutter-member 54, finger 64 and plunger 63, which all move to ether with the head 60, are .so proportioned, and the cam 70 is so located, as to cause the plunger 63 to engage the length of wire presented to it immediately following the cutting operation. It will be understood that immediately following the .cutting operation, as described, the finger 64 is raised by engagement of its pin 69 with the cam 70, and

thus themember 54, under the action of its spring 56, is immediately returned to the normal position represented in Fig. 6, in which position it is ready to be again engaged by the finger 64 upon the return move ment of the head 60 after the plunger 63 has completed the staple-forming operation.

The, head 60 is reciprocated means of a connecting rod 75 pivoted at one end to the head 60, as indicated at 76, andcarrying at its opposite end a head 77 provided with a central longitudinal slot 78 through which the shaft 38 extends. The head 71 is also provided with pins 79 and 80 arranged on its opposite sides, with the pin 79 on the face of the head below and in advance of the other pin 80 located on the rear face of the head. Fixed on the shaft 38 on opposite sides of the head 77, are cams 81 and 82 provided with teeth 83 and 84, respectively, forming abrupt shoulders which are so positioned as to successively engage the respective pins. Thus when the shaft 38 is operated, as hereinafter described, assuming the parts of the machine to be in the positions represented in Fi 1, the tooth 83 eng'a es the pin 7 9 and slides the rod 75, and with it the head 60, to the position represented in Fig. 8. Continued movement of the shaft 38 causes this tooth to pass the pin, whereupon the other tooth 84, which has then been moved into-position to engage the other pin 80, causes the rod and head 60 to be returned to the normal position represented in Fig. 1.

The staple-reeeiver comprises a plate 85 pivoted at one end to the frame-arm 16, as indicated at 86, and provided with a channel 87 of a size permitting the lnnger 63 to freely enter and pass througi it. The walls of the. channel contain grooves 88 and 89 corresponding and in alinement with the grooves in the opening 45. The car 90 is provided at one edge of the plate 85 and to this ear is pivoted a link 91. This link is pivotally connected near its upper end with one end of a bell-crank lever 92 fulcrumed on a frame-arm as indicated at 93, the upper arm of the bell-crank having an arm-extension 94 provided with a flat lateral surface 95 disposed at an angle to the upper arm of the hell-crank. The normal position of the receiver is that represented in Fig. 6 in which it extends horizontally, it being held in this position by engagement of its armextension 94 with a pin 96 carried by the plate 18. When, however, the plate 18 is lowered the lever 92 and sta le-receiver, by reason of the lowering of t e-pin 96, are caused to turn, by gravity, to the positions indicated in Fig. 10. The staple receiver is so constructed to cause it to turn to a position in whichthe staple-driver 21, having tongues 97 on two opposite sides to slide in the grooves 88 and 89 in the receiver 87, may enter the receiver and force the staple from 'it, as shown in Fi 10, through the parts 98 and 99 to be stapled together.

A movable anvil 100 in the form of a plunger fits in a central opening 101 in the table 15 to' slide up and down, and rests at its lower endon a cam-finger 102 projecting from a disk 103 journaled on a stub-shaft 10.4. A connectin r lever 105 secured to the disk at one side 0 its center is connected at the lower end of the lever 106 through the medium of a buffer-connection 107. The lever 106 is fulcrumed to the frame 13 and is held in engagement with a cam 108 on the shaft 38 by means of a spring 109 fastened to the lever and the frame. Thus each rotation of the shaft 38 causes the connectin rod to be reciprocated, thereby raising and lowering the anvil 100.

The operation of the machine is caused to be completely under the control of the operator through the medium of a clutch of any suitable construction coiiperating with the drive-pulley 110 loosely mounted on the shaft 38. The clutch may be the springreturned clutch 111 illustrated,- whieh, as shown, is rotatable with the shaft 38 and slidable on it through the medium of a treadle 11.2 connected to the clutch through a bell-crank lever 113 and link 114:. Thus by depressin the treadle the clutch engages the loose pulley and the shaft rotates until the treadle is released.

The operation of the machine, assumin its parts to be in the positions represented in Figs. 1 and 6 with the wire extending through the plate 40, is as follows: The parts to be stapled are first arranged on the table 15 in the proper position. Where the end, as for instance that shown at 98, of a wire-bound box 115 is to be stapled in place, as to the eleat 99, the partially completed box in the condition represented in Fig. 11 with its sides folded into shape, is positioned on the table to cause the nose-shaped outer end of the arm 16 to bear against the side of the box, the end of this arm being so shaped, as represented in F ig. 12, and the driver being so positioned with relation to this end of the arm, as to cause the box to be properly positioned with relation to the stapler for driving the staples the same distance from the edges of the cleatsno matter in what position the box is pushed up against the nose, as represented in Fig. 12 by the dotted lines. The cams 81 and. 82- and the eccentric 37 are so arranged that, when the treadle 112 is depressed, the first part of the machine to operate, through the turning of the shaft 38, is the head 60, which through its sliding arm-connection with the shaft is caused to be moved in its guides to'the left, in the drawing, by the action of the tooth 83 against the pin 79. The finger (3-1- being in engagement with the head 55 of the cuttermember 54 causes the latter to move in the opening =14, and the plunger ,63 being fixed to the head 60, is likewise caused to niove in its opening 46. The cutter-member 54 moves to the left toward the pin 4-9 until the pin 69 has ridden upon the cam 70, whereupon the finger (A is raised and thus disenga ed from the cutter-member 54, causing the atter to return to the position illustrated in Fig. (5. During the movement of the cuttermember to the left it slides into engagement at its surface 57 with the tapered surface 50 (if-the cutter-pin, thereby severing the wire 23 at the point Where it leaves the pin. As before'stated, the cutter-member 54:, finger (A and plunger 63 are so proportioned and the cam is so positioned as to cause the plunger 63 to press against the severed length ofwire immediately after the cutting operation described. Continued movement of the head (30 to the left causes the plunger (33 to buckle and bend the severed length of wire, forcing it into the grooves 72 and 73 in the opening 45, and thence, in formed condition, into the grooves 88 and 89 in the staple-receiver as illustrated in Fig. 8; By the time the plunger '63 reaches this position in the staple-receiver, the tooth 84 on the cam 82 has been brought into engagement with the pin 80, the other tooth 81 having passed the other pin 79, and further rotation of the shaft 38 thereby causes the head 60, and with it the plunger 63 and finger (34, to be moved to the right in the drawing, to the position shown in Fig. 6.

The eccentric 37. through which the plate 18 is actuated, is so positioned as to cause the plate to start downward as soon as the plunger 63, while moving-to the right as de scribed, clears'the end of the staple-receiver. As the plate 18 descends, the pin 96 is lowered, thereby causing the bell-crank lever 92 to turn downward, which, by reason of its connection with the staple-receiver, causes the latter to swing downward to the position represented in Fig. 10. The parts are so.

arranged as to cause the driver 21 to enter the upper end of the staplemeceiver immediately following the operation of turning the latter to the downward position. Continued downward movement of the plate .18 causes the driver to'enter the staple-receiver, the tongues 97 on the driver forcing the staple out of the receiver and into the material 98, 99, located beneath it. The cam 108 is so positioned as tocause the anvil 100 to'be raised and held in raised position during the sta le-dr'iving operation explained,

as indicate by dotted lines in Fig. 11, the

butter-connection 107 serving to cushion the blow of the driver and to adapt the machine for stapling material of difi'erent thicknesses. feed 22 causes the wire 23 to be drawn from the reel and pushed through the pin 49 and plate 40 into position to be again out into the desired length, the length of wire being th'us fed corresponding to the length of the stroke of the plate 18. The upward movement of the plate 18 first retracts the driver 21 from the staple-receiver, and through the engagement of the pin 96 with the arm-extension 94 turns thestaplereceiver to the normal horizontal positlon illustrated in Fig. 6, in which it is ready to receive anstaples, the

As the plate 18descends, the wire other staple. Owing to the engagement of the finger 53 with the wire 23, the latter is held against upward movement when the plate 18 ascends, as the jaws of the feeds device readily yield in a downward direction. As soon as the head 60 has reached the limit of its stroke to the right in the drawings, the finger 64 engages the head on the cutter-member 54 andthus the parts are in position to a ain move the cutter-member to the left to e ect the next cutting operation of the wire fed into position as ]llSt described. Intermediate the driving of the arts to be stapled may be moved to di erent positions and thus the operator may position the sta les as desired. The successive operations ot the machine are repetitions of that described, the new length of wire being fed to the cutting and forming mechanism after each operation of driving the staple formed of each preceding length of Wire.

The provision of the nose-shaped arm with the driver positioned at its outer end afiords a great advantage in a machine of this character, as the workman who can not see the inside of the box and the position the staplers occupy relative to it, may, by merely keeping the sides of the box against the end or sides of the nose, groperly position the staples in the matcria 1t will be noted that a machine embodying my invention may be constructed without requiring the use of springs in connection with those parts where the greatest wear would take place, and thus the machine is rendered durable and reliable in operation.

\Vhat we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. in a staple-forming and driving machine, the combination of staple-forming mechanism, a reciprocatory member, a staple-driver carried by said member, means for feeding wire to said first-named mechanism, a staple-receiver pivoted to the machine, lever-mechanism including a bellcrank lever fulcrumed on the machine and connected with the receiver, an arm-extension on said bell-crank lever, and a lug on the reciprocatory member into the path of which said arm-extension projects, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a staple-forming and driving machine, the combination with staple-forming inechanlsm and staple-drivmg mechanism,

bination ofa reciprocatory member, a staplemember into the ath of which said arm-exdriver carried by said member, a staple-retension projects, or the purpose set forth.

ceiver pivoted 0n the machine, lever-mech- RICHARD G. INWOOD. anism including a bell-crank lever ful- I GORDON N. SIGERFOQSE. crumed on the machine and connected with In the presence ofthe receiver, an arm-extension on said bellg GEORGE OLTSCH,

crank lever, and :1 lug on the reciprocatory S. B. ROBINSON. 

